The Dragon and the Phoenix
by Phoenicis Lunae
Summary: He was an arrogant, though talented, Waterbender and the leader of the White Falls Wolf-Bats. She was a fiery woman, the object of his pursuits, a healer, and his waitress. When she decides to get payback, however, everything changes when the Equalists attack. Can the Dragon learn to let in his Phoenix? Tahno/OC, Iroh/Asami. Book 1 AU.


**Author's Note:** First Legend of Korra fan fiction! As it says on the tin, this is a Tahno/OC story…but it also includes Korra and the rest of Team Avatar as well! Please review!

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**- THE DRAGON AND THE PHOENIX -**

Chapter 1: _The Healer_

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Sighing, Oharu moved her hands up as she focused on the water underneath her palms, guiding it over her patient's skin as she closed her eyes.

Underneath, she could feel the change in energy as the water visibly glowed, healing the damaged skin underneath it as it sapped slightly at Oharu's steady reserve of chi.

The patient – male Metalbender from Chief Beifong's elite police force – groaned, his back slumping in relief as he felt the stinging pain from his burn leave his body. When Oharu could feel no other damaged tissue, she paused, nodding her head at the man, and guided the hovering stream of water back into the leather, cylindrical pouch.

"Everything should be healed, Captain Saikhan," Oharu said quietly, letting her bare hands fall into her lap, "All of the damage has been reversed, and your skin repaired. Luckily, there will be no scar…this, time, that is. I can't speak for any future disturbances where you might encounter another triad of Firebenders."

"Ahhh," the Captain breathed, moving and rotating his arm freely, "That feels much better, Oharu. Thank you so much…on behalf of the police and Chief Beifong, I can't thank you enough. You've helped us a lot with healing our men. Many of them are also healthy, back to normal, and scar-free, no thanks to you and your healing skills."

"Well, Captain," Oharu said teasingly, "I was only able to heal some of your men after you insisted on each and every one of them be tended before you were. I greatly admire your responsibility and selflessness, but next time, you may not be so lucky. The longer you wait to get a burn healed…the less of a chance that we'd be able to heal, and save, the damaged skin tissue. Republic City can't afford to have Chief Beifong's right-hand man incapacitated from fighting Firebending criminals all the time."

"I suppose you're right," the Captain said with a frown, "Thank you again, Oharu, for all your help. You truly are a well-trained healer."

"No…thank you, Captain," Oharu said, bowing with a smile, "And don't forget, I'm not the only one helping the police when they get injuries. The rest of the healers are more than happy to help, too. Without them, I dare say your men would be waiting a lot longer than they did to get healed properly…and get back home to their concerned wives and families."

"Say," the Captain said, "Was it true, what Councilman Tenzin said? Not that I mean to pry, but…just curious."

For a moment, Oharu's smile turned into a frown.

"I don't mind your curiosity, Captain," Oharu replied, her voice neutral as she smiled once more, "But a lady does have her secrets to keep…without them, how are we to keep men like yourself intrigued?"

"Touché," the Captain replied with a laugh, "Well, it was a pleasure seeing you again, Oharu. You may be young for a healer, but you sure do a good job. I can see why there might be talk of that sort about you…and of the good kind, no less."

"You're most welcome, Captain. I am at your service, and at the service of the police of Republic City, anytime," Oharu said, nodding in affirmation.

"Well…I'd best be going. My wife will start to get worried otherwise," the Captain said, "Take care, Oharu."

"Have a pleasant night, sir. Say 'hello' to your wife for me."

"I will! Take care!"

With that parting note, the Captain got up from the table, donned his shirt and metal armor, and departed, his steps echoing across the hall as he left.

Glancing at the far window, Oharu saw that the sun was finally beginning to descend, causing bright rays of mixed orange hues through the glass. Sighing again, she undid her apron and walked over to the wall, where she hung it among many of the other hooks and healers' aprons there. Finally finished with her days' work, Oharu gathered up her fur satchel and other belongings and headed to the punch card station. From what she could tell, she was the last healer scheduled for the day to clock out, as she punched her card, turned, and left the hospital with quickened steps.

Stepping outside, the first thing Oharu noticed was the smog – a thick, dampening cloud of putrid fumes that seemed to hang like a sickening fog over the area. Coughing, Oharu pressed on, setting out on foot and ignoring the steady stream of Satomobile taxicabs lined up by the hospital's entrance, several drivers calling to her if she wanted a ride.

Oharu merely ignored them. She couldn't afford the luxury – or the waste – of getting a taxicab, especially when she couldn't afford it. As her father had taught her, she had two strong, healthy legs to walk on, and she made good use of them, moving quickly along the streets of Republic City, keeping her eyes straight ahead while surveying the areas she passed through with her peripheral vision. Though she usually walked back home after her work at the hospital by herself, and usually didn't have any problems, more and more bender triads were plaguing Republic City lately. More recently, a group of non-benders calling themselves "the Equalists" had also arisen, claiming that bending was 'evil', and even acting as vigilantes against the triads.

Though Oharu was alone, and certainly not part of a triad, she could defend herself with her Waterbending if need be if she were attacked – either by a triad, or the Equalists. Though Oharu would consider a triad to be the greater evil, from what she heard on the radio, the Equalist vigilantes weren't exactly to be trifled with, either. According to recent news reports, the Equalists' forces included skilled and well-trained chi-blockers who could quickly, though temporarily, disable a bender's bending – and Oharu's water pouch, along with her Water Tribe clothing, clearly marked her as a Waterbender.

It took Oharu about thirty minutes to make her way across the different sections of Republic City on foot – and luckily, she didn't see a single triad or Equalist member. Waiting for a lull in busy traffic, Oharu saw that no Satomobiles were coming, and crossed to the left side of the street. The edifice of the building revealed a busy, bright restaurant that had a big, square entrance, its light shining dimly against the quickly darkening atmosphere.

Darting inside, Oharu hear her footsteps echo softly against the wooden floor. Around her, many people were gathered at tables and chatting, their voiced making a low din as they kept the restaurant busy.

Walking up to the front podium, Oharu paused as she watched the older man standing there. He apparently didn't notice her at first as he seemed to be scribbling notes down quickly in a book with a pen, his thin, gray-haired moustache so long that the tips graced the page.

"Welcome to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery! How many in your party today?" the man greeted.

Looking up, the man's eyes widened as he saw Oharu, then narrowed.

"Oharu! Where have you been? Your mother and I need you!" the man scolded angrily, "You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

"But, Dad-"

"No 'buts'!" her father interrupted, "Kitchen. Apron. Notebook. _Now_."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Oharu snaked her way to the kitchen, where she put her things in their usual place with the other employees' belongings. Donning another apron, Oharu grabbed one of the free waitresses' notebooks and headed out to the dining area, returning to her father's side. Though her felt annoyance at her father, she kept her face passive; if she were to stay professional, she couldn't let her irritation and anger at her dad show through to the customers. That would be unacceptable, not to mention embarrassing, for her.

"Well, don't just stand there!" her father scolded again.

Grabbing her arm forcefully and jerking her around, her dad pointed to a familiar group sitting at a booth in the corner.

"Do you know who those people _are_?" her father hissed.

Squinting her eyes, Oharu nearly rolled them when she noticed the one and only, long, black, styled bangs of one pale-skinned man, his grin cocky as he wound his arms around two ladies seated next to him. Saying something lowly to both ladies, the man's companions broke out into chuckles as his two male friends laughed as well, probably in on some inside joke.

The pale-skinned man's eyes swiveled suddenly to Oharu's, nearly causing her to jump. Coughing, Oharu quickly averted her gaze back to her father.

"Yes, Dad. I know who they are," Oharu replied sarcastically.

"They're the White Falls Wolfbats!" her father continued, ignoring her response, "The reigning champions of the Pro-Bending Arena for two consecutive _years_ now! They've been so kind as to visit out restaurant frequently. Thanks to them, we've gotten so much attention and business that we've nearly doubled our usual profits!"

"And your point is…?"

"Go! Now!" her father barked, shoving her roughly in the Wolf-Bats' direction.

Sighing, Oharu made her way to the Wolf-Bats as she readied her pen and paper. Ten feet from their booth, the pale-skinned man sat up and said something to his companions, causing all of them to look at her as she approached.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Uh-haru," the pale-skinned man said with a smirk.

Surveying her form, the man let his eyes roam freely over every part of Oharu's form, causing her stomach to clench uncomfortably. Gathering herself, Oharu set her lips in a firm line, controlling her reaction so as not to let on her expression to him.

"Hello, Tahno," Oharu greeted, sarcasm evident in her voice. "I see you haven't stopped ogling me every time I wait on you and your…friends."

"Doll," Tahno responded, his smirk growing wider. "My 'friends' and I have been compassionate enough to grace your father's…'fine establishment'…with our presence. I suggest you be a little more _quiet_ when you serve us."

It took every ounce of Oharu's willpower not to reach over and give Tahno a nice, hard slap to the face - and to rein in her anger as she closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath.

"Alright…yes."

"Yes…what?" Tahno countered, grinning wolfishly .

"Yes…sir," Oharu said, albeit darkly, as she glared at the arrogant Waterbender.

"See…I like that," Tahno said, his voice dipping into a purr. "You know, you're more than welcome to join us sometime. I'd be happy to offer you some…_private lessons_."

At this, Oharu _really_ rolled her eyes, but said nothing for a moment.

"Thanks…but I'm a bit busy at the moment…as you can see," Oharu said, "Anyways, who would like to order first?"

"I will," Tahno said, glancing down at an opened menu on the table in front of him. "Let's see…I'd like…a tall, cold glass of water…your finest seaweed platter…and a _special_ side of fish."

At that, the other two Wolf-Bats members snickered, one making a very inappropriate hand gesture at Tahno's last remark.

Resisting the swiftly growing urge to slap the Wolf-Bats' leader, Oharu ignored Tahno's suggestive comment and moved on quickly to the others' orders.

"Okay…I have a water, a bowl of Narook's Finest Seaweed, and a side of fish," Oharu said, turning to the two men with Tahno. "And what would you _gentlemen_ like?"

After suffering through more sexual jokes and puns at the expense of Tahno's companions, Oharu finally stomped off towards the kitchen, ripping off the piece of paper for the order as she all but smashed it on the bar counter.

"Oi!" one of the cooks called, "Don't do that! You'll break the counter!"

At this point, Oharu could really care less. Nevertheless, she swiftly moved towards a family of four that had entered the restaurant, seating themselves at a booth opposite from the Wolf-Bats' table.

"Hello! Welcome to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery!" Oharu greeted cheerily, smiling brightly, "Would you like to order some drinks?"

"Are you Tahno's girlfriend?" one of the children, a young boy, suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I saw you over there talking to Tahno!" the boy repeated, excited, "Are you Tahno's girlfriend or something? Because, if you are, can you get me an autograph-"

"Han, that's enough," his mother chided sharply, "Settle down."

"No," Oharu said sardonically, "I'm _not_ his girlfriend. I'm just his waitress."

"I'm sorry about that," Han's father quickly apologized, his voice kind, "You see, one of Han's favorite things is Pro-Bending, and the Wolf-Bats are his favorite team. He idolizes them."

"I wanna be a Pro-Bender when I grow up!" Han piped up, making noises as he punched with his small arms. "I want to be just like Tahno! He's so awesome!"

"Sure…" Oharu said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, what would you folks like to have to drink?"

Returning from the family's orders and fetching a tray with their drinks, Oharu returned and resumed her business, trying to forget the bubbling rage in her chest – and Tahno humiliating her in front of other restaurant customers.

Soon enough, Oharu noticed – thankfully – that before she could even return for the Wolf-Bats' check, they had already left their usual mess, along with their yuans placed accordingly on the table. Well, at least _that_ was an improvement…sometimes, the Wolf-Bats left without paying at all, leaving Oharu to clean up their gigantic mess afterwards.

Walking up to the table, Oharu saw that someone had left a piece of paper behind. Curious, Oharu picked it up.

_Hey, doll. If you still want those private lessons, give me a ring. _

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_

_Yours Sexily, _

_Tahno_

Turning it over, Oharu's eyes narrowed when she noticed it was a picture of Tahno grinning. _Of course_. From what she had seen, Tahno never missed an opportunity to carry around cards with his face on it to sign for fans – and now, he'd found a new use for it…giving her his number.

However, as she looked over the card, feeling rage rise up in her, everything seemed to click.

When everything was done, and the restaurant had closed for the night, Oharu and her parents closed up the building and returned to their apartment upstairs. It was a small area – nothing too large at all when considering most of the buildings were multi-story and crammed together in the city – but it was homely. Even after working in the restaurant all day, every day, Oharu's mother still managed to keep the place very clean; and the small apartment was furnished with Water Tribe paraphernalia, not unlike the restaurant.

"Dad," Oharu began as her father came through the door, "Do you still have those free Pro-Bending tickets that the Wolf-Bats gave you?"

Narook glanced at his daughter, surprised.

"Oharu, I thought you said you hated Pro-Bending."

"Dad," Oharu began, her voice gentle, "I don't hate Pro-Bending. I've just never really cared for it…well, actually, now, I think I've changed my mind. I actually want to see the Wolf-Bats play."

"Oh," Narook said, clearly shocked, but his features turned into a grin. "I never thought I'd ever hear you say that. My daughter, wanting to see the Wolf-Bats play!"

"That's right, dad!" Oharu said, forcing a wide smile. "Who knows, maybe I'll even get to meet the Wolf-Bats backstage."

"That would be…spectacular," Narook said, smiling from ear to ear. "Wait here."

Disappearing into his room, Narook returned with one, pristine looking ticket.

"Now, the Wolf-Bats gave me tickets for all three of us…but you know your mother and I need to keep the restaurant going. We're so busy now that I can't see every game of theirs nowadays. Go," Narook continued, placing the ticket in Oharu's hands and clasping his wrinkled fingers over hers. "Go and have fun."

"Thanks, Dad…and I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun," Oharu replied graciously, a devious look in her eye.

Oh, yes…she would sure have a lot of fun at the Pro-Bending match…especially when she got to meet Tahno for his so-called 'private lessons' and pummel him.

Later that night, after her parents had fallen asleep, Oharu crept out into the hallway, where they kept their phone. Clutching the piece of paper that Tahno gave her in one hand, Oharu dialed and spun the numbers accordingly, picking up the receiver.

"_This is Tahno. Speak."_

"Hello, Tahno…this is Oharu."

"_So…finally come around to those 'private lessons', Uh-haru?"_

Oharu grimaced, pinching the bridge of her nose in disgust, but carried on.

"Yes…now that I've thought about it…I've realized that I'd _love_ for you to teach me…alone."

Dropping her voice and trying her best to sound flirtatious, Oharu wasn't sure if Tahno would believe her…but sure enough, he seemed to buy it.

"_Oh, believe me…I'll work with you _personally_."_

"I have tickets for your next game against the Capital City Catgators."

"_Perfect,"_ Tahno purred, _"Meet me after the game in the training room. Look forward to seeing you, doll."_

With that, Tahno hung up, leaving Oharu with little choice but to return the receiver to its original place atop of the phone box.

With a wolfish grin of her own, she made mental plans of how she would act in this 'meeting' with Tahno…and how she would get payback against the bastard for absolutely humiliating her on her turf.

"Watch out, Tahno," Oharu whispered, her hands clenching into fists. "You'd better get ready…because I'm going to give you a 'lesson' you'll _never_ forget."

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**Disclaimer:** _Avatar: The Legend of Korra_ and all related literary characters are © 2012 to Nickelodeon, etc. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. All unrelated characters are © 2012 to me and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.

I am in no way officially affiliated with Nickelodeon or any associates and publishers, and do not intend to cause any slander, libel, or other damages to them, either in person or through the publication of this work. This is a non-profit publication, posted by a fan, for fans.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.


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